Storage means for small containers



March 29, 1966 s. RINDNER 3,243,074

STORAGE MEANS FOR SMALL CONTAINERS Filed Aug. 26, 1964 INVENTOR. SHEPERD RINDNER United States Patent 3,243,074 STORAGE MEANS FOR SMALL CONTAINERS Sheperd Rindner, 17 04 N. 36th St, Milwaukee, Wis. 53208 Filed Aug. 26, 1964, Ser. No. 392,152 4 Claims. (Cl. 220-39) This invention relates to means for storing small containers, such as are often found in a household kitchen or bath, in a neat and efiicient fashion.

A large number of consumer items are packaged in deformable tubelike containers having a capped outlet at one end thereof and the other end pinched shut and sealed. The introduction of plastic tubes, in addition to the existing soft metal tubes, has increased the use of this type of container. Because of the inability of tube containers to stand on end, storing such containers on shelves is extremely ineflicient as they must be laid on their sides. This leaves a large, useless storage space above the tube.

Many of the products packaged in such containers are of a personal nature, such as cosmetics, so that each member of a family may desire his own tube of the product. This renders the storage problem more acute and causes difiiculty in identifying to Whom a particular tube belongs. Further, it is often desirable to have an identifying means by which the contents of a given tube may be easily ascertained.

It is often necessary to-place the storage place for such containers either within easy reach of certain members of a family, such as children, or out of their reach, as in the instance of tubes containing medicinal products.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide means for efiiciently storing a plurality of tubelike or other small containers.

It is another object of this invention to provide a means of storing efiiciently tubelike containers which includes an easy means of identifying such containers.

It is another object of this invention to provide an efiicient storage means which may be placed within or without the reach of certain individuals.

Further objects, together with an understanding of the invention, may be obtained by a perusal of the attached specification with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 shows a side view of a tube container employing a storage means in accordance with the present invention, including a means of identifying the container;

FIG. 2 is a detailed side view of a storage means of the present invention showing in addition, another means of identifying the container;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the storage means shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 shows the method of storing containers by use of the storage means of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3;

FIGS. 5 and 6 show another embodiment of the storage means of this invention; and

FIG. 7 shows a holder suitable for use with the storage means of FIGS. 5 and 6.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown therein a tube container 1 of the type commonly used to package cosmetics or medicinal products. Tube 1 comprises a tubular body portion 3 enclosing the contents of the tube. The lower end of tube 1 is sealed after filling by pinching the tube shut, folding the tube several times, and crimping, as at 5. The upper end of tube 1 is provided with a threaded outlet (not shown). Tube 1 is capped by a threaded cap (also not shown) to retain the contents in the tube.

The present invention provides a means 6 which is designed to replace the above mentioned threaded cap to provide a convenient means of storing the tube. Storage ice means 6 contains a tubular base portion 7 having an internal threaded cavity 8 to engage the threaded outlet of tube 1. Mounted on top of base portion 7 is a conical portion 9 terminating in hook portion 11.

As shown in FIGURE 2, conical portion 9 may be formed in the shape of an oblique circular cone having both an upwardly inclined face and a vertical face. Hook portion 11 comprises an extension of the vertical face of conical portion 9 and is formed on approximately the same radius as tubular base portion 7. Hook portion 11 terminates in a downwardly facing extremity opposite the upwardly inclined surface of conical portion 9.

Hook portion 11 is adapted to engage a holder, by sliding the holder up the upwardly inclined surface of conical portion 9 into hook portion 11. This may be a nail or other projection or, as shown in FIG. 4, may be an adjustable rod 13, adapted to be affixed to a room Wall, inside wall of a cabinet, etc., by suction cups 15. Adjustable rod 13 permits variation in rod length to accommodate varying numbers of containers and differing sizes of cabinets and wall areas. Suction cups 15 allow the holder to be easily affixed and removed to change the position of the holder or to place the holder within or without the reach of certain individuals, such as children.

As shown in FIG. 4, small containers other than tubes, such as plastic squeeze bottles, which would otherwise be difficult to store may be efficiently stored by storage means 6.

To provide an easy means of identifying various containers, either for contents or for ownership, storage means 6 may be of different colors or may contain initials or other ind-icia on base portion 7 and conical portion 9 as in FIG. 1. The initial or other indicium 12 may also be detachably mounted on hook 11 by frangible portion 14, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, permitting use of the indicium only if desired.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show another embodiment of the storage means which comprises the invention of this patent. This embodiment also contains a tubular base portion 17 and a conical portion 19 mounted thereon. Conical portion 19 terminates in loop portion 21 which is adapted to engage a nail or other projection to retain the storage means 6 and the associated tube. As in the case of the storage means shown in FIGS. 1 through 4, storage means shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 may also be of various colors or contain identifying initials or symbols.

FIGURE 7 shows a holder which may be employed to store a plurality of tubes or small bottles equipped with the storage means shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. A semi-circular block 23 is mounted on suction cup 15. Ext-ending from block 23 are a plurality of wires 25 to engage loop portions 21 of storage means 6 to store the tubes or bottles.

From the foregoing description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, it will be readily apparent that this invention provides a means for efiiciently storing tubes or other small containers. In addition, it provides a means of identifying such containers. It is intend-ed to cover in the appended claims all such embodiments of the invention as come within the scope of those claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A means for efficiently storing small containers having threaded neck portions on a projecting holder comprising:

a base having a threaded cavity to mate with the threaded neck of said container; and

a hook portion mounted on the base to engage said projecting holder, said hook portion having a downwardly facing opening formed by an end thereof for reception of said holder;

said base and said hook portion meeting to form a conical outer surface presenting an upwardly inclined face opposite the end of said hook portion and said downwardly facing opening,

whereby said hook portion may be placed adjacent said holded and guided onto the latter by said upwardly inclined face.

2. The means of claim 1 wherein said base is circular and said base and said hook portion meet to form an oblique circular conical surface including said upwardly inclined face and a vertical face.

3. The means of claim 2 wherein the vertical face of said oblique circular conical surface contains a distinctive indicium.

4. The means of claim 2 wherein said hook portion References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,788,121. 4/ 1957 Ayres.

FOREIGN PATENTS 757,220 9/1956 Great Britain.

LOUIS G. MANCENE, Primary Examiner.

J. B. MARBERT, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A MEANS FOR EFFICIENTLY STORING SMALL CONTAINERS HAVING THREADED NECK PORTIONS ON A PROJECTING HOLDER COMPRISING: A BASE HAVING A THREADED CAVITY TO MATE WITH THE THREADED NECK OF SAID CONTAINER; AND A HOOK PORTION MOUNTED ON THE BASE TO ENGAGE SAID PROJECTING HOLDER, SAID HOOK PORTION HAVING A DOWNWARDLY FACING OPENING FORMED BY AN END THEREOF FOR RECEPTION OF SAID HOLDER; SAID BASE AND SAID HOOK PORTION MEETING TO FORM A CONICAL OUTER SURFACE PRESENTING AN UPWARDLY INCLINED FACE OPPOSITE THE END OF SAID HOOK PORTION AND SAID DOWNWARDLY FACING OPENING. WHEREBY SAID HOOK PORTION MAY BE PLACED ADJACENT SAID HOLDED AND GUIDED ONTO THE LATTER BY SAID UPWARDLY INCLINED FACE. 